Saturday, March 8, 2008

Sarah's prompt: She hadn't expected the door to open so easily


DANGER
BEWARE
STAY BACK
NOT AN ENTRANCE
ALARM WILL SOUND
DO NOT ENTER
CAUTION
She looked all around. It didn’t look dangerous. It didn’t appear to be unsafe. It was just a path. A little rocky perhaps, but rather innocuous. Hmmm. She took a step, well now, for all the warnings no alarm sounded. She took another. It seemed to be a perfectly delightful path. She looked ahead to where it wound through a wood. Were those flowers?
She looked behind her.
TURN BACK
WRONG WAY
DANGER
She looked ahead of her. She could hear a stream. It must be just around that bend. She began to wander done the path. The voices in her head screaming at her.
WHAT ARE YOU DOING?
WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?
YOU KNOW BETTER?
She began to hum to herself to try to shut them out. As she walked she even began to try to reason with them.
I don’t really see anything the matter. I can turn back anytime I’d like. I’m just going to walk this way, just a little further. Maybe just to that tree to see what’s beyond. I can stop. I’m not going to take this path to the end, which would be foolish. I’ll just walk a little while.
She found the stream and it was delightful. Birds singing, water bubbling flowers blooming. She sat down on the grass to enjoy it all.
You cannot stay here! You know you must go back. Soon it will be too late! You are in danger! Said the voice in her head.
Well it certainly doesn’t look dangerous. What harm can come from just spending a few minutes laying in the soft grass, feeling the wind caress my face, taking my time and enjoying myself?
“Hello.”
Startled I sit up. “What are you doing here?” I ask somewhat incredulously.
“I saw your car at the end of the road”
“Oh,” I laughed. “Weren’t you warned off by all the signs?”
“Not me, I like to live dangerously. I didn’t expect to find you here, however.”
“Well,” I paused. What was I doing here? “I pass this way quite often; I’ve even stopped at the end of the road a few times. I decided to get out and take a look. I’m not planning on going too far down the path.” I look back but I can’t see me car and I’m surprised to see how far it seems I’ve come already.
“I see,” he replies. We sit there quietly for a few minutes. I see him looking at me.
“What?”
“Nothing, really, I was just noticing the sun shimmering off the water catching the highlights in your hair.” I smile. I start to get up. “Going back?”
“No, ummm, I thought I’d walk a little further. Not too far, of course.”
“Of course.”
“You know, maybe just to that next bend.”
“Mind if I come along?” He asks as he stands up.
“No, I don’t mind. I rather hoped you would.” I laughed a little self conscious now.
As I look down I see in the dirt, little stones with letters on them.
D
A
N
G
E
R
How very odd. As I look along the edge of the path there are little signs as well. STOP……DANGER …… TURN BACK…. Ridiculous I think to myself, nothing dangerous here. Although the Alice in Wonderland feel to it all does not escape me.
We walk and laugh and talk and I realize that we’ve gone further than I expected to and its later than I knew. I’m suddenly very thirsty and tired. Up ahead on the path is a little cabin. It seems rather deserted.
“Do you think anyone lives there?” I ask.
“No, I doubt it.”
“I wonder if its open, I’m awfully thirsty.”
Suddenly I see the signs again, everywhere. STOP ….DO NOT ENTER …. DANGER
We walk up the path, flowers and ferns growing everywhere. The sound of rapidly flowing water can be heard but just beyond and rather far away. I turn to find him just at my shoulder. We pause at the door.
“Should we go in?” I almost whisper.
“Sure, why not?”
Suddenly they are falling, falling, falling. As the boiling water of the swollen river comes closer and closer she realizes she hadn't expected the door to open so easily.

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